Counting Up: Murphy's Law: Whatever will create more stress, that's the shit that happens.

I should be packing right now. I spent 5-6 hours yesterday packing, and a few hours in the days before that, but I'm still nowhere near finished. I've cleared out the bathroom (minus a few candles, some cleaning supplies, my basic toiletries). I've cleared out one of my closets, my office, and some bits and pieces from the living/dining room. I've gone through my clothes to get rid of whatever I haven't worn in a while and what doesn't fit anymore, and I've taken done all the art and pictures from the walls. But I haven't touched the kitchen or the storage area above my closet, and some things are only half done, like my piano bench: the music is put away, the random stuff in the drawers is not.

I've chosen to write tonight instead of pack, though, because I feel the need to document the insanity that is this Week Before The Move, so that one day when I look back on this, I won't incorrectly remember it as a joyful or easy time. Because it has been neither of those things. My sister once wrote in a college essay (before I forced her to edit it out) that her life is like a roller coaster. Well, if life is a roller coaster, then this is my week:

I don't even like normal roller coasters.

I spent pretty much all of Sunday and Monday either laying floors or packing. And then by the end of Sunday, we finished laying the floor, but we hadn't touched the quarter round. So I asked my contractor to do it the next day. Then I get an email saying that the gaps along the wall (between the flooring and the baseboards) are too large for the quarter round in some places. So then I freak out because he doesn't offer any solutions. And then my insurance agent wants to know what kind of insurance I want (we haven't already chosen??). And then my mortgage person wants to close (for the second and final time) on Friday. And then my contractor comes up with a solution for the flooring. And then my insurance person helps me choose and pay for a flood policy. And then Capital One's online banking system won't let me in, and I don't know if the check written to me for my washer and dryer has posted yet. And then I spend an hour on the phone with Capital One. And then my cleaning people go to clean today and the workers won't let them in to clean because they're not done yet. And then the cleaning people aren't sure they have a time before the weekend. And then Capital One confirms the check deposit. And then I have no idea who is going to move my stuff on Saturday. And then I think I have a lead for movers. And then it falls through. And then my cleaners figure out a plan, so that they can come tomorrow afternoon. And then I find a mover. And then I find out that no locksmiths work on the weekends. And then my insurance agent tells me that I only owe 600-something bucks toward flood insurance right now, not the $1300 I thought it was. And then I find extra time to clear out the closets in my new house so that people can clean the space and work on the quarter round more efficiently. And then I still need to figure out what in the hell to do with that huge piece of pretty-thin plywood sitting in my bedroom. And then my real estate agent surprises me and drops off a mardi gras candle. And then my mom agrees to help me get to UHaul to rent a truck early Saturday morning. And a friend promises to leave out the dryer she's giving me, so I can pick it up even though they're going out of town.

As I write this, it seems like I should be all set. But I can't shake the deep, troubled feeling that everything is going to bottom out. Because I felt all set on Monday and then this paragraph happened.

And I'm sad to leave my house, the place I've called home for the last four years.

And I'm excited to arrange and decorate.

And I'm nervous that I won't get to sleep that first night.

And I'm relieved to have a place to call my own.

And I'm afraid that I'll be lonely, living by myself for the first time.

I hope that as the weeks pass, and I settled into the new place, that some of these fears and anxieties and time-consuming phone calls will subside. And I'll finally get to use my midday planning period for planning again.

A few more pictures...